oh, rwanda

Earlier this morning (after the internet returned from its day and a half hiatus here at the office...), I received an email from my boss asking me to translate a letter for our Francophone directors of advocacy and programming from our regional office. It began with the line "Over the time remaining to travel to Kirimanjaro..."

Point of Interest #1: Amusing misspelling of 'Kilimanjaro.'
Point of Interest #2: He thought it would take me THREE DAYS to translate this one page letter? Yikes.

Point of Interest #1 has some blogging potential that I haven't previously covered, though. So, because the one page letter translation did not take the expected three days (but instead a typical 2ish hours), the r's and the l's. Rwandans amuse me beyond all reason with their ability to use 'r' and 'l' interchangeably. Imagine your confusion when you're speaking to someone, or reading an email or text and the words are just... all wrong. (Well here, for example, the previous sentence in typical Rwandan speak: "Rwandans amuse me beyond arr leason with theil abirity to use 'l' and 'r' intelchangeabry. Imagine youl confusion when you'le speaking to someone, ol leading an emair or text and the wolds ale just... arr wlong." It's not quite that bad... but the confusion!)

My favourite r/l mix up is probably the 'rice/lice.' When the waiter asks you if you'd like some "lice" with your meal, it's extremely difficult not to crack up. People here pronounce my daughter's name as "Reah" rather than "Leah." A Canadian friend of mine is a maid of honour in a Rwandan/Canadian wedding this weekend; the wedding invitations came back reading "We play you will attend" rather than "we pray." When Rwanda held its parliamentary elections back in September, more than one individual told me that we would have the day off work because there were "erections." The hilarity.